Adapter tor connecting devices



Dec. 22, 1925- 1,566,781

. G. C. THOMAS, JR 7 ADAPTER FOR CONNECTING DEVICES Filed May 4, 1921- npemto'c Patented Dec. 22, 1925.

UNITED, STATES GEORGE c. THOMAS, 3a., or ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, nssrenon To nun-n THOMAS & Bn'r'rs oo., OF ELIZABETH, N W JERSEY, A oonronn'rlon on NEW JERSEY.

ADAPTER non oon'nno'rme nnvrons.

Application aiea m y 4,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that G. El'rroMAs, J12,

a'citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aldapter sforv Connecting Devices, of which the tollowi-ng is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for connecting electrical conduits, connectors,

cables or the like to electrical outlet boxes :opening is used, and a large variety of connecters and conduits of di fferer'it sizes are usually kept on hand so that one of the proper size may be available for use with the opening in question. One of the 'objects of my invention is to provide a device or attachment adapted to be associated with "a connecter or a conduit or cable and an opening in an outlet box,.or the like, and whereby such element may bereadi ly and easily inserted and firmly secured in the desired position within the opening. For example,

by means of my attachment a connecter, which without my attachment is intended to fit a half inch opening, may readily be inserted and secured within an opening of larger size. such as three-quarters of an inch or one inch. 1Accordingly,' by the use of my invention the number of diiterentstyles and sizes of .oonnecters or conduits which must be manufactured and kept on hand may be greatly reduced. A further object or my invention is toprovide an adapter comprising a minimum of parts for connecting de- .vices, and an adapting device which maybe inexpensively manuta'ctured and is adapted to beeasily associated with an opening and aconnecter or other element, and effectively aids in securing the connecter or other element within the opening.

of my invention is .to provide an adapter of the character above described compris- Another' object ing awasher and means for permitting the washer to be easily and readily mounted real. Serial -No.*466,78-1.

upon the threaded neck of a connecter, and atv the; same time, when so positioned is adapted to retain this part in position thereon so that it may not readily fall from or slide off the connecter duri-ng'the handling of the adapter, before or afterthe connecter is mounted in the opening.

My improved adapter includes a member, preferably of annular shape, having an inside periphery si'iflicientlylarger than the neck of a connecter, or other element, to permit of its being easily positioned on such element, and having an outside periphery larger than the size of the opening within 'which'the connecter or otherelement is to be placed and secured. This annular'inemher is adapted on one side toengage abutment means on the connecter orothe'r el'ement, and on its other side to engage against a side of the wall about the opening. "This annular'member is: provided with an inner portion, annular or otherwise, which is adapted to seat between the periphery of the wall opening and the periphery of the connecter or'other element, placed in the opening. A look nut, o-requi va-lent device, engaging the neck of the confnecteror'other-element, on the opposite side ofthe wall will, when properly adjusted, secure the smaller sized connecter orother element, firmly in the desiredposition within the wall opening. When the annular member is' provi'ded with a transverse split the. adjustment of the lock nut or other locking means will cause the annular member to expand and will then force the inner portion of the annular memher into firmer binding engagement with the wall about the opening. I also provide 1 a thread, or one or more small projections,

.extending'sufficiently inwardly of the inner periphery of the annular member to engage between the threads on the neck of a connecter, so that, when the annular member is positioned thereon, the annular member will not be apt to fall off during the handling of the parts prior to or after their association with the opening.

In order that niyinv-ent ion may be more clearly understood attention is hereby di rected to the accompanyingdrawings for ning part of this application and illustrating certain embodiments of my inventioin In .the drawings Fig; l'represents a; vertical section showing one form of my nvention associated with an electrical connecter and mounted in position through an opening in a wall, the parts of the adapter and the wall being shown in section; Fig. 21s an Y end view of my-invention mounted upon a I neck 2providedwith external screw-threads 3. At the. rear of the screw-tlireaded neck 2 is the peripheral flange 4, of greater diameter than that of the threaded neck, and

the usual clamping ring5 whereby a cable or conduit may be'attuched to and'held by i the connecter in the usual manner.

(3 indicates a wall of an outlet box or the like and 7, indicates an opening in the wall through which isdesired that the con" necter be mounted. It is to be noted thatthe neckf2 .of'the connecter is shown to" be considerablysmaller than the size of the opening 7 so that the function of my improved adapterrmay be-appreciated more clearly. My improved device whereby this undersized connecter maybe mounted in the opening"? is illustrated in Figures 1 and Y 2 as comprising. a ring 8 which may be of metal or other suitably rigid material and is preferably split transversely, as at 17.

The inner peripheryQ of this ring is approximately the size of the threaded neck 2" of the connecter and the outer portion of the ring isilarger than the opening? The against the flange 4 of the connecter. The opposite side 12 of the ring 8 atfits outer portion; is also flattened and abuts against ring 8 at one side 11 is flattened and abuts the wall surrounding the'opening 7.

low flat surface 12 is an inner portion comprising an; annular shank 13 extending axially beyond the side 12 and entering the opening 7 of the wall so as to. be seated therein between the periphery of the. opening and the neck 2 of the connecter. When the above mentioned parts havebeen s0 positioned the connecter is prevented fromundesirably moving about laterallyin the opening 7. To secure the connecter firmly in place a nut 14, having a larger diameter than that of the opening 7,'is adjusted upon the threads 3 of the neck 2 of the connecter until the wall 6 is firmly clamped between the nut 14 and the side 12, of member 8. When the parts have been properly positioned all the parts will be securely and firmly fastened in the desired position,v with flange 4: of the connector abutting the annular member 8 and shank 13 of that member seated within the opening 7 between the walls6 and the neck 2 of the connecter.

1 When member 8 is split tmn'sversely as 17 the clamping together of the elements I will urge this member to spread and thus tend to cause shank 13 to bind more firmly against the periphery ofthewall opening. This spreading effect on themem ber 8 is especially noticeable when it presents a tapered surface to the abutment means, as i in the type shown in Figs. 3, 5 and (3. The

spreading of thewasher is effected in any event by the taper provided by the rounded shoulder 4. It has been found that when the annular member 8 has a smooth, interior surface this member is apt to slip off the neck 2 of the connecter during its'handling, thus cans ing'the inconvenience and delay of recovering and restoring this part to its proper place. To prevent or restrain annular menr,

her 8 from so slipping from the neck of the connecter I provide one-or more projec tions l5textending interiorly from the inner surface of the annular member 8 vand into the opening.thorethrough. These projections maybe easily and simply formed by off-setting suitable portions of the 1112- terialof member 8 sufficiently at the desired pointsby a stampingoperation, so that the projections 15 will engage betweenthreads 3 on the neck 2 ofthe connecter. It is readily apparent that these projections will not interfere with the proper positioning of the annular member 8 and at the same time will provide 'suflici'ent restraint to prevent the member 8 from undesirablysliding or falling off the threaded neck 2 of the" connecter.

Among many possiblemodifications that I may be made in the shape and form of the annular member 8, arethe followingmodifications illustrated inthe drawings. As

shown in'Fig. 3 the annular member 8 may comprise an annular ring having its inner portion flanged outwardly somewhat axially to-provide shank 13, and having the projections 15 offset inwardly of its inner periphery. In Fig.4 the. annular member 8 is illustrated as comprising an annular-ring having an annular rabbeted portion on one side so as to provide the annular flange or shank 13 adaptedto seat between the wall .surrounding the opening 7 and the neck 2 of the connecter, and an outer portion 12 beyond flange 13 adapted to abut against a slde of. thewall 6. In Fig. 5 themember 8 is illustrated as having a ring-like form,- the ring, however, being hollow and split :circumferel'itially The ends do not meet and one end 12 is adapted to abut against the outer surface of the wall 6 surrounding the opening 7 and the other. end '13 is adapted to seatwithin the. opening 7 between the periphery of the opening and the neck 2 of the connecter and to function similar to shank 13 of the other modifications. The surface 9 of the ring 8 iao away from the wall is adapted to abut against the abutment strip 4 of the connecter, and its inner periphery is adapted to contact the neck 2 of the connecter. In Fig. 6 th annular member 8 is illustrated as comprising a ring of sheet-steel, or similar material, and comprises an inner portion bent axially to a certain extent, as at 13, to extend somewhat within the opening 7 between the periphery of the wall 6 about the opening and the neck 2 of the connecter, and an outer portion 12 larger than opening 7 In this modification the inner-most edge of member 8 may be adapted to engage between the threads 3' on the neck 2 so as to serve the same function as is served by projections 15 in the other modifications. In Fig. 7 the member 8 is shown to comprise an annular member having an outer portion or head 12 larger than the opening 7 and adapted to engage against one side of the wall 6 about opening 7, and an inner portion comprising an annular shank 13 smaller than said portion 12, and adapted to extend into the opening 7 between the periphery of the opening and the neck 2 of the connecter. This member 8 may be fashioned in a solid piece or may be fashioned from a sheet of metal folded upon itself as illustrated in the figure at 16.

Many other modifications in the form and shape of the member 8 maybe made without departing from the scope of my invention. For instance, it has been found that the member 8 may comprise a plain annular ring, circular in crosssection, of such size that it is adapted on one side to contact the wall about the opening and on its other side to contact the abutment strip 4 of the connecter, and also to extend to a certain extent interiorly of opening 7 around the neck of the connecter sufficiently to prevent undesirable movement of the parts.

To adapt a connecter for mounting in a larger sized openingand to mount it firmly and securely in place therein by means of my improved adapter, I first take my annular member 8 and place it upon the neck 2 of the connecter so that it abuts against abutment flange 4. I then place the connecter in the opening 7 of the 'wall 6 with the shank 13 of the annular member 8 seated within the opening 7 ,and then take nut and adjustit upon the neck 2 of the connecter from the opposite side of'the opening until it binds against the opposite side of v able devices may be used for accomplishing the functions performed by this element. My invention moreover is not limited to use with connecters or conduits or cable having external threads,-and it is to be understood that member 8 may bemounted either on the outside or on the inside of the, wall opening, as desired.

What I claim is: e I

1. The combination with a wall having an opening, of a connecter having a peripheral flange and a threaded neck, an expansible washer on said neck and extending into said opening, said washer. and flange having a tapered surface engagement, and means comprising a nut adjustable on said neck for pressing said washer and flange together to expand said Washer against the periphery of said wall opening.

2. The combination'with a wall having an opening, of a connecter having a. peripheral flange and a threaded neck, an expansible,

washer on said neck and having a portion of greaterdia-meter than said opening and a reduced shank portion adapted to seat within said opening, said washer and flange having a tapered surface engagement, and means comprising a nut adjustable on said neck for pressing said washer and flange together to expand said washer against the periphery of said wall opening.

, 3. The combination with a wall having an opening, of a connecter having a peripheral flange and a threaded neck, an expansible washer on said neck and extending into said opening, said washer presenting a tapered surface against said flange, and means com prising a nut adjustable on said neck for pressing said washer and flange together to expand said washer against the periphery of said wall opening.

This specification signed and witnessed this second day of May, 1921.

GEORGE G. THOMAS, JR. 

